Cats and Dogs
by DigiExpert
Summary: Animals can be reminders of the people we know and care about. Sometimes they follow us and bring a bit of light into our lives as they pass through.


**This was my part in an art/fanfic trade for Mami/Kyouko shipping. I completed martanime's request, which was "cat and dog". Definitely a difficult one to fulfill without much to go on, but I think I did pretty well. Both animals mentioned are based off real pets. Enjoy.**

"Are you following me?"

Mami posed the question to the black cat that tiptoed along behind her, crouching down to its level. She held out a hand, allowing the cat to sniff. It was a rather large cat, with a round black face and slightly pudgy belly. Round yellow eyes peered back at her, the right eye display the edge of a torn third eyelid. Hesitantly, the cat nudged the tips of her fingers, but backed away skittishly when Mami reached out to pet the cat's head.

"All right then," she whispered, smiling. She rose and turned, heading back to her apartment. Along the way, she stopped at a convenience store, and picked up a few goods. When she exited the store, the cat was sitting on a nearby ledge, sunning itself in the setting sunlight. She chuckled as the cat gave her a curious look. "Are you enjoying yourself?" The cat gave a short, chirping sound, similar to a purr. "I guess you agree with me, cat."

She slipped her key into the lock and walked inside. As she closed the door behind her, she felt a rush of fur against her legs. The cat stared at her from the doorway to the kitchen, as though it knew exactly where to find food, its yellow eyes imploring her to follow. It turned and walked into the kitchen, flicking its tail back and forth.

"Just like someone else I know," smiled Mami, following the cat. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a small container of left over beef and gravy. She dished a small portion onto a plate, and placed it in front of the cat. She returned the container to the refrigerator and took a bottle of water for herself.

As she drank, she watched the cat eat. It licked the gravy in the dish first before chewing on the pieces of meat. She knelt and scratched the cat behind its ears. The cat began to purr. "I think Kyouko would be pleased to know she has competition in cat form," whispered Mami. "I wonder who your owner is." The cat, of course, could not answer her.

When it had finished eating, the cat, more comfortable in its surroundings, jumped onto the counter beside Mami. It rubbed against her shoulders, purring softly. Mami reached out and petted the cat, rubbing her fingers under its chin. This only made the cat purr more loudly. "So adorable," she murmured. The cat continued to nudge against her, relishing the attention it was receiving.

After a time, the cat jumped from the counter and walked toward the front door. It pawed at the door before turning its head to look back at Mami, asking an unspoken question. Mami obliged and opened the door. The black cat walked outside and down toward the stairs. It sat and began cleaning itself. After a few moments, Mami closed the apartment door and went back to the kitchen to begin preparing dinner. After all, she would soon have another hungry mouth to feed.

"What're you lookin' at, dog?" asked Kyouko gruffly, one eye still closed. She stretched, arching her back against the tree she'd used as a pillow. The day had been rather hot, but this particular tree had provided ample shade and wasn't along the main path that wound through the park. She had set her brown messenger bag aside and dozed off.

Kyouko had woken from her nap, only to find a beagle staring back at her with imploring chocolate brown eyes. Its face was white blended into brown, and its body was black on top with a white underbelly and legs. Just below the tail was an odd white marking that looked very similar to a castle. A purple collar hung around the dog's neck, a bone ID tag attached. "Fiona… funny name for a dog," remarked Kyouko.

The dog barked back at her, as though agreeing. She cocked her head and moved forward, nudging Kyouko's shoulder.

"Hey now, I'll get up when I'm—" The dog nudged her again. "Fine, fine, I'm up." Kyouko rose to her feet and stretched her legs. The dog still stared back at her, as though waiting for something.

Kyouko reached for her bag and rummaged inside. She pulled out a tennis ball. "You play fetch, dog?" she asked. She moved the ball around in front of Fiona and then threw it a short distance away. Fiona merely watched, never giving chase.

"Too good are ya?" Kyouko shrugged. "Whatever."

She turned and began heading home. Fiona followed her, trotting alongside. "Listen, dog, you can't come home with me. I can't have pets," answered Kyouko. In reality, she really wasn't sure. Mami had never brought up the topic and had never mentioned the apartment having a no pet policy. It didn't matter though because the dog clearly belonged to someone. "You can't keep following me. Go home to your owner, pooch."

Still, Fiona followed. "Sheesh, you're stubborn like Mami sometimes. She just doesn't give up either." Kyouko stopped and shrugged. "Whatever. Follow all you want, but you can't come to my place so I don't care."

Fiona jumped up and placed her paws on Kyouko's jacket. Kyouko looked down, horrified to see dirt smeared onto her favorite jacket. "Hey! That's not okay, dog! Get down! Sit! Sit!"

It was apparently a command that Fiona understood because she immediately sat on her bottom and looked expectantly up at Kyouko. "I don't have any treats for you. You don't get any after getting my jacket all dirty anyway. Go home."

This command was not something Fiona knew, or hadn't been taught, for she presumed that "go home" meant "follow this loud-mouthed girl". So follow the loud-mouthed girl she did, wagging her tail along the way.

Kyouko had given up on commanding the dog to leave and find its owner. It was pointless. She was tired, despite the nap underneath the tree earlier, and she was hungry. Her stomach rumbled, and she wondered what Mami might make for dinner that night. It really didn't matter to Kyouko what Mami made because everything she made tasted delicious. Kyouko always cleared her plate wanting seconds.

She climbed the steps to the apartment, and heard the clicking of nails on the stairs, knowing the dog was still following her. She approached the door and began to turn the knob. Behind her, she heard whining and paused. She wanted to just forget the dog and go inside. But something inside her realized that the dog didn't want to be left alone. _Just like Mami doesn't…_ she thought suddenly.

She knelt before the dog, and looked at her tag again. There was Fiona's name. She flipped the tag over and saw the phone number. "I guess this is your phone number. You want to go home, don't you? Wait here."

"Mami!" called Kyouko as she opened the door, "Can I borrow the phone for a sec?"

"There's no need to ask, Kyouko. Why?"

"Some dog followed me home and seems lost. There's a number on her tag so I guess that's her owner. I'm gonna call and get her home. She doesn't want to be alone."

"You had someone following you too? I had a large black cat earlier. Reminded me of you." Mami smiled, recalling the cat's mannerisms.

"Why?"

"It loved food and attention."

"I'm not that simple," replied Kyouko with a huff, crossing her arms.

Mami closed the distance between them and kissed the younger girl before leaning over to whisper, "There's curry for dinner and a chocolate cake for dessert." Kyouko's stomach rumbled and she giggled. "I think that's your answer."

"Damnit!"

"I'll go finish up while you take care of contacting the owner."

Later that evening, Kyouko played video games while Mami read on the couch behind her. The owner had picked up Fiona shortly after Kyouko had called, profusely thanking Kyouko for finding her lost pet. Kyouko had happily enjoyed every bit of dinner and dessert, even though Mami continued to tease her. She could handle some teasing when some cake was involved. _Some_ teasing, mind you. Mami had told Kyouko about the cat's visit, and Kyouko had told about Fiona in return. They each thought it strange that an animal would make them think of the one they loved. Sometimes, animals were more than just cats and dogs.


End file.
